Film “I am Europe”

At the end of 2010, the Evens Foundation initiated the creation of a European documentary aimed at highlighting Europe as ‘a space of encounter’ where European citizens can get closer to each other and do not perceive ‘the other’ as a threat.
We chose six cities based on several criteria, but the essence was to emphasize their Europeanness, thus reinforccing the idea of a European space. Large European cities and their inhabitants can provide insights into the soul of Europe. Living together in an urban context is a challenge, just as is living together in a shared Europe.

In the search for stories, filmmaker Jef Vingerhoedt was guided by what are defined as ‘European values’ in the Treaty on European Union. We selected six of these values: democracy, human rights, freedom, equality, the rule of law, and solidarity.

The film gathers personal stories and impressions that illustrate this Europe of encounter. The variety of issues that it raises provides much material for thought and discussion.

In the latter part of 2011, the film was presented to and discussed with different stakeholders in order to refine the final version. They agreed that the potential of the film lies in the way it can provoke lively reflection on the stories recounted and the varied issues that it raises. The film was used as the basis for Evens Foundation project “What’s your ID?”.